South Korea activist to parachute 100,000 copies of The Interview into North Korea with balloons

Defector Park Sang-hak is working with human rights charities to translate the banned Sony film into Korean

North Korea called The Interview 'illegal, dishonest and reactionary' - but researchers say country is not to blame for cyber hack.Reuters

An activist from South Korea has revealed plans to drop 100,000 copies of banned Sony film The Interview into the neighbouring North using balloons.

Park Sang-hak says he will launch balloons carrying DVD copies of the Seth Rogen film to try to break down a personality cult built around North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

The comedy, in which Rogen and James Franco play journalists who attempt to assassinate the dictator, is at the centre of tension between North Korea and the US, with Washington blaming Pyongyang for cyber attacks on Sony Entertainment. Officials in Pyongyang deny any involvement in the hacking scandal and have vowed to retaliate.

Park told Associated Press he will start dropping 100,000 copies of the movie in DVD and USB format as early as January.

James Franco alongside Randall Park as Kim Jong-un.Sony Pictures

A North Korean defector, Park said he is partnering with the US-based Human Rights Foundation to pull off the stunt. The non-profit organisation is financing the making of the DVDs and USBs with Korean subtitles.

Foundation officials will enter South Korea around January 20 to hand over the film. The first batch of balloons will then be floated from a site close to the border, if weather conditions allow it, Park said.

The stunt is expected to enrage North Korea officials, who expressed anger over the controversial film.

In October, the country opened fire on giant balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets floated across the border by activists, triggering an exchange of gunfire with South Korean troops.

However it is unknown how effective the plan will be, as only a small number of ordinary North Korean citizens are believed to own computers or DVD players. Owning a computer requires permission from the government and costs as much as three months' salary for the average worker, according to Associated Press.

Not everyone supports sending balloons into the North, with liberals and border town residents in South Korea urging activists to stop. North Korea has long demanded that South Korea stop the activists, but Seoul refuses, citing freedom of speech.

Park said the ballooning will be done clandestinely, with the pace picking up in March when he expects the wind direction to become more favorable.